Pune:
Forget receiving credits, Malegaon is actually paying the
price and punished for the role it had played during the Indian freedom
struggle.

So says Dr. Malika Mistry. Dr.
Malika,
Development Economist and Demographer, was speaking to ummid.com
on the sidelines of the second State Convention of the All India
Secular Forum (AISF) recently held in Pune.

"Malegaon should have been given credits for
the extraordinary role the town had played during the freedom
struggle and the sacrifices it had made for the independence of
the country. But, far from receiving credits, the town is actually been ignored, suppressed, sidelined
and punished... in a systematic and perhaps deliberate manner",
she says.

Stating that somewhat similar
observations were made by Ms. Meeta Lochan, an IAS officer who
served the town for few months as Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM),
Dr. Malika says, "I experienced this feeling while in Malegaon to
complete my thesis. I noticed with shock that the hostile police
and the ignorant officials who were the fate of the town during
the British era persisted even after the independence."

Observing that the root-cause of
many problems in the country lies in our failure to realise the
need for police and administrative reforms after the independence,
she says, "Instead of reforms, we allowed our machineries to function as they
were during the British regime. But the sufferings of the people
in Malegaon show that we made the mistake and the country should
have opted for
police and administrative reforms immediately after the
independence."

Malegaon is the Muslim dominated
town in North Maharashtra and has witnessed a series of communal
riots and terrorist attacks in its post-independence history. It
also has an equally long history of negligence on the parts of
successive governments. Dr. Malika was in Malegaon for her research work on 'Fertility and
Family Planning among Muslims in Malegaon'. She was later awarded
doctorate by Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics for this
research.

In reply to the question, why she
chose Malegaon for her research work, Dr. Malika says, "The town
has quite a few number of Madrasas and its people have a very
strong religious connection. At the same time, it is
also a known high-fertility zone."

About her research, she says, she was surprised to note that despite all odds and the sufferings
the town has undergone, it has maintained a good literacy level,
which is an impressive more than 70%.

"It is where that Malegaon has a
chance. If administration changes its attitude towards the town
even today, there is no reason why Malegaon, which has always been
regarded as a liability, doesn't become a major source of income
and talented workforce for the state as well as the country", she
says.

After the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) opened its centres in
West Bengal and Kerala, Muslims in five other states also want
similar centres, AMU Vice Chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis said here
Sunday. "Muslims living
»

Ten thousand empty plates were displayed at the bottom of the
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World Food Day. French non-governmental organisation
Action Contre la Faim (Action Against
»

In a shocking incident in Rajasthan, three Dalits were fined Rs 45
thousand by a Panchayat for daring to drink water from a public
tap. A case has now been registered against the accused. According to CNN-IBN, these
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Restaurants in Britain throw away over 600,000 tonnes of food
annually, a media report said Sunday. Which means half a kilo of
food is wasted every time someone eats out, The Independent wrote
quoting a survey
»

Alcohol consumption among teenagers in the age group of 15-19
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development
»

A Masjid and Mandir stand side
by side in Malegaon. Though the town is regarded as
communally sensitive place and has actually gone through a
series of riots and terrorist attacks, people here are known
for living together, and in peace and harmony since hundreds
of years. The picture is taken during the Dassehra
Festival that ended October 17. Every year the Mandir is
illuminated and decorated with lights and special Pujas are
held even as Muslims pray in the Madjid almost
simultaenously.

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